Mandeng Djara is Mamady's last recorded album on Fonti Musicali. a lot of the rhythms are Mamady compositions with song, kora, balaphon and of course dunun. the songs themselves are traditional songs sung by the women and children in the villages near balandougou. listen to Balandougou Kan track 1 disc 2 and you'll hear some of the same songs.

i had a Mamady moment last weekend driving home from a concert in my altered state, i decided to put on this album for the 70 minute drive after calling my wife to tell her i'm on my way and after inhaling a turkey sandwich.

now i know there are Mamady detractors, but you simply cannot deny the tastefulness of some of those intro arrangements. it's a fine balance b/w precise percussion work without being over the top in regards to the overall melodies of the rhythms....especially when playing off the bala and kora. that's the main thing that blows me away about this album...

...you can also add the telepathic conversation b/w mamady and daouda (dununfola), the catchy songs, blistering bala playing, and the overall clarity of the entire recording...it's funky stuff.